A sales representative sells goods or services on behalf of a company. Traditionally, sales representatives approached clients in person to sell products; this method is called outside sales. Nowadays, most sales are done through inside sales, which is remote selling by telephone or computer. Sales representatives typically receive a combination of salary and commissions or salary and bonuses.

Outside and Inside Sales

Depending on the company, an inside sales representative might work with the outside sales representative to improve future sales within accounts. The inside sales representative might cold-call prospective clients before forwarding top leads to the outside sales representative, who follows up on those leads. The inside sales representative might manage small accounts and transactions, while the outside sales representative handles large accounts and transactions.

Conversion

Some companies do not use outside sales representatives. In such instances, all sales are done in-house. According to Forbes magazine, outside sales is merging into inside sales. In this case, an inside sales representative handles all sales transactions by phone or computer, including generating leads, making presentations, closing sales and maintaining customer accounts. Some companies use a hybrid format, where the sales representative makes calls from his job site and occasionally travels to meet with clients.

Qualities and Skills

A successful sales representative understands her customer base and maintains a solid relationship with them. She knows her customers’ buying patterns and her market and products. She uses effective communication to establish healthy relationships with her clients. To meet her quotas, she remains results-focused and tenacious. For example, an inside sales representative might have to make a specific number of calls per day, and an outside sales representative might be required to make a minimum number of presentations per week. In both cases, the representative may need to obtain a certain number of new clients per month. Sales representatives must undergo ongoing training to obtain essential knowledge and skills.

Education and Job Outlook

Educational requirements vary by industry and employer. For example, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says a high school diploma is sufficient for many wholesale and manufacturing sales positions. However, those selling scientific or technical products usually must have a bachelor’s degree. The job outlook for sales representatives varies by industry. The BLS predicts that employment of wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives will increase by 16 percent between 2010 and 2020. This is approximately as fast as the average for all other jobs.

About the Author

Grace Ferguson has been writing professionally since 2009. With 10 years of experience in employee benefits and payroll administration, Ferguson has written extensively on topics relating to employment and finance. A research writer as well, she has been published in The Sage Encyclopedia and Mission Bell Media.